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Cycling News Flash for February 9, 2006

Edited by Jeff Jones

Heras banned for two years

By Hernan Alvarez

Roberto Heras
Photo Š: Unipublic

The Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) has suspended Roberto Heras (Liberty
Seguros-Würth) for two years after his positive doping test for EPO, taken
on the penultimate stage of the 2005 Vuelta a Espaņa. Thus, Russian Denis
Menchov (Rabobank) who finished second in the Spanish tour, will be recorded
as 2005 Vuelta a Espaņa champion, and Heras will remain with three victories
(2000, 2003 and 2004).

The general secretary of the RFEC, Eugenio Bermudez, told Spanish news
agency Efe, "What we did was just to fulfil our commitment to apply
the rules. It's not a positive or nice matter for sport or cycling but
we applied the current rules".

Liberty Seguros was informed by the UCI about the positive doping test
on October 27, 2005. The Spanish team subsequently
decided to suspend Heras. With the sanction confirmed, the rider now
has the right to appeal to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) within
a month. His suspension will start four or five days after he receives
the letter from the RFEC about his case and he signs for the receipt of
that letter.

Heras tested positive on the 20th
stage of the Vuelta, a 38.9 km time trial between Guadalajara and
Alcala de Henares. He finished second behind Ruben Plaza that day by only
0.5 seconds. Plaza actually set a record for any long individual time
trial in any Grand Tour of 56.218 km/h, with a strong tailwind and a flat
course helping.